The last single, Hammered in An Airport, takes a bit of beating. It is hard to think of any recent song, or indeed any song at all, that combines the same wit and infectiousness, lyrical wordplay and satirical stance, downbeat vibe and upbeat groove. In fact, the only band that would stand a chance of coming close to repeating such a sonic feat are…none other than Spray itself. Then again, competing with yourself is probably the only way to approach such creative endeavours.

Blurred in The Background is another brilliant slice of sassy synthpop. And if it is a genre that conjures images of po-faced pop poseurs and cooler-than-thou keyboard tappers Spray is exactly the tonic that you need. The dance-fuelled beats and keyboard washes, skittering percussion and electronic clubland pulses might seem familiar but what Spray is great at is not taking things too seriously. Blurred in The Background is the perfect analogy about keeping your head down and being left alone. Why be the centre of attention when you can have a quieter life? Why be the focal point of the picture when you can be Blurred in The Background?

Synth-pop is making a bit of a resurgence these days but most of the bands heading down such routes seem to be overly 80’s fixated to the point where they all sound as if they are vying to be included in the soundtrack of a proposed film of Ready Player Two. And that is why you need bands like Spray to show everyone that the genre can be forward-facing, exploratory and relevant. It can also be fun smart and totally switched on. Blurred inThe Background is all of those things.

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